Paint tube opener and squeezer



31, 1954 E. E. MCGILCHRIST El AL 2,687,827

PAINT TUBE OPENER- AND SQUEEZER Filed April 28, 1952 "2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS ELTON E. MCGILCHRIST g l ETCHER J PRATT ATTORNEY g- 31, 1954 E. E. MGGILCHRIST ET AL 2,687,827

PAINT TUBE OPENER AND SQUEEZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 28, 1952 INVENTORS GILCHRIST PRATT ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 31, 1954 OFFICE 2,687,827 PAINT TUBE OPENER. AND SQUEEZER Elton E. McGilchrist, Salem, and Fletcher J. Pratt, Portland, Oreg.

Application April 28, 1952, Serial No. 284,728

3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to-the mixing of paints and, more particularly, to the adding of colors in oil to a white or neutral paint or similar base.

Still more specifically this invention relates to means for removing the oil color from the collapsible tube in which such oil colors are customarily contained and for delivering the color as desired to the paint to be mixed.

Recently it has become the practice with paint dealers, who are required to meet a demand for a very Wide variety of different colors and shades of paint, to mix the paint to order by adding one or more colors in oil to a white or neutral color paint until the desired color and shade of color are attained for the particular requirement. This practice not only increases the number of varieties and shades of colored paint with which the paint dealer is able to supply customers, but

it eliminates the necessity for the dealer to keep on hand a large stock of many different colors of pre-mixed paint, some colors of which may not sell as rapidly as others. With this recent change of practice the paint dealer is obliged to keep on hand only a large stock of neutral paint or white paint together with the relatively small tubes of oil colors, which latter require much less storage space.

Oil colors used for paint are generally put up in collapsible tubes in a limited range of size. These tubes resemble the familiar containers in which tooth paste etc., are sold, except that the large circular discharge end of the collaps ible tube in the case of oil paint colors is customarily formed without any discharge opening and must therefore be cut open when the on color is to be removed from, or squeezed from, the tube. Heretofore the removal of oil colors from their collapsible tube containers has been done largely by hand and is regarded by paint dealers and store operators generally as a very messy and annoying operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device by means of which oil colors for paint can be dispensed from their collapsible tube containers as required without inconvenience to the operator engaged in the mixing of the colors in the paint and without any mess or soiling of the fingers of the operator. 7

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a convenient and adjustable device which can be used to open tubes of paint colors and to squeeze the contents from the same into the receptacle containing the paint which is being mixed.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a device of the character above indicated which will be simple and practical in construction, relatively inexpensive to'manufacture, and the operation and maintenance of which will require only a minimum amount of care and attention.

We attain these objects and other incidental advantages with the paint tube opener and squeezer as hereinafter briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our paint tube opener and squeezer, a large size paint tube (indicated in broken lines) being shown in the act of having the discharging end of the tube cut open preparatory to the squeezing of the contents from the tube;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the device and shows the paint tube inverted after the cutting of the end of the tube and in process of having the contents squeezed from the tube, the section corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a plan section of the device corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the tube-cutting guide means taken on line 4'-- i of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a corresponding fragmentary sectional elevation of the tube-cutting guide means but illustrating the cutting guide in reversed position to accommodate a much smaller size paint color tube;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation on section line 6-6 of Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation on line 1-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, our paint tube opener and squeezer comprises a base Ill, a standard H, and an adjustably mounted bracket indicated in general by the reference character 12 on which the tube-cutting and squeezing means are carried. The standard II is formed with a central vertical slot l3 (Fig. 2) and the adjacent rear Wall of the bracket I2 is formed with 2. lug l4 which extends into the slot l3 and is slidable therein. A bolt l5 extends through the bracket Wall and through the center of the lug i l and extends for some distance beyond the opposite face of the standard II. A clamping nut IS on the bolt l5 clamps the bracket l2 in desired adjusted position on the standard, the nut l5 preferably having an elongated arm IE to provide a convenient finger hold when the clamping nut is to be tightened or loosened. The base lil is preferably formed with two or more circular concentric recesses I1, l8 (Fig. 2) of progressively reduced diameters designed to fit the bottoms of paint cans of standard sizes, such as the large can 0, in order to hold the can steady and in proper position for receiving the oil color squeezed from the paint color tube for mixing with the contents of the can.

The bracket. l2l'is. adjustable aszto height so that the paint color tubes of different sizes or length may be held directly above paint cans of diiferent size and height and the contents of the tubes discharged centrally intothe can as. the tube is squeezed, without possibility of the squeezed-out oil color being depo'sitedoutside of l the can.

The bracket I2 is formed with two spaced arm. portions 12A and i213 (Fig. 3) extending in the same horizontal plane and parallel to each other. A shaft [9, extending through both of these arm. portions and rotatably supported therein, carries-a squeeze-rollerit which is sea cured tothe shaft. t9; and; positioned.- between: the arms. A small disc- 2 i having saw-like; teeth. on its periphery, is securedon onetend of the shaft 19. A- crank arm22: is. secured-on the: other end of the shaft l5! so as to enable the shaft l8, and with it. the circular saw or; cutter 2i and the squeeze roller Ell-,to: be manuallyrotated when desired;

The arms 12A and MB have identical longitudinal slots 23A and 233 respectively extending: from, a: spaced distance beyond the; bearings for the shaft Etta-the. outer ends of these arms. An idler roller M, of the-same'size' asroller 2i? and. acting as a companion squeeze roller for the roller 28; has the ends of its shaft slidably and rotatably disposed in the slots 23A and 233; A U-shaped cross head: 2%, slidably positionedin the slots 23A and 2313-, has a. concave groove in.

the tip of; each side, and thesc-grooves engage-thecorresponding: ends 05- the shaftifii of: theidlcr roller 24 (seealsali'ig. 6).. A bar 2 t, attached to the. ends ofthe% arms" 2A and I213, carries an adjusting screw 28: which. engages: the cross.-

head 25- and thus", as: apparent from Fig. 3; en" ables the positionlofthe-idler roller 24; to be.- adjusted with respect to the fixed roller 29. A pair of pins zsan 3a hold the. respective ends; or the bar Elremovablysecured inthe ends of the.- arms 12A and 1213. The squeeze rollers. 2t and 2.4 have their. surfaces. preierably: knurled to. aid them in taking a firm grip on the tube to: be squeezed; between theme A cutting guide 3| (Figs. 1, 3;, 4,- 5 andz'l) is mounted on the outside-of thearm. l-z'Biof the bracket 12 by means of a screw 32. This screw 32" passes transversely through the approximate longitudinal center of thecutting guide. The shape of this cutting guide is -shown-most clearly in- 1. and. 3.. The'guide: is. formed with two oppositely-positioned sections MA and 31B. A cylindrical. channelf 3.3. extends through. the portion MA. The Wall; of the. other section. 3.!B forms an incomplete. wall. around anotherv channel 34. which is substantially. cylindrical; except for theincompleted. wall portion where the outor face of the. bracket arm. LBB forms-a. portion of the channel wall. The. channel 33 is of. considerably smaller. diameter than. channel. 34', but

the. axes of both channels are parallel, are. spaced.

equal distances fromthe screwtZQand'the. screw 32 is so positioned with respect to. the axis, of the shaft wand cutter 21' that the axis of either channel will intersect the axis of the. shaft Iii and cutter 2| when that channel is on the same side of the screw 32 as the shaft l9.

As indicated from Figs. 4 and 5, the cutting guide 3! may be rotated on the screw 32 when the screw 32 is loosened, so that either of the channels 33 or 34 may be positioned below the cutter 2|, depending upon the diameter of the paint tube to be out. In order to enable the edge of the cutter 215 to extend into the top of the smaller channel 33, when that channel of the cutting guide is being used, a pair of diametrically opposite slots 35 (Fig. 4) extend a short distance. down into'the channel wall. Also preferably the wall of the channel 33 is formed with an internal shoulder 35 at the top in order to prevent a small tube, when being cut, from inadvertently being thrust too far upwardly in its contact with the cutter which might then cause some of the contents of the tube to be thrown outwardly by the rotating cutter.

The mannerin which our. device is; employed will be readily understood: from the drawings; Assumingthat a large size tube of paint color; such as that indicated by the broken lines in' Fig. l, is to be openedand thecontents'squeezed from the tube. and-discharged intothe paint candicated in Fig. l-with the discharge end. up; andin this. position the tube is inserted in the large channel 34: of the portion 5MB of the cutting guide 3i until the tube end oomesintocontaot with the cutter 21, which cutter the operator rotates with his other hand through the medium.

of the crank 22. As soon as a: cut is made in. the end of the tube (and this can readily be observed by the operator looking down on the large channel portionii-lB-of the cutting guide), theoperator moves the tube down away from the cutter and cutting guide,,reversesthe position of the tube and insertsthe flatend of thetube up between the squeeze rollers ac and 2 1 as shown by the position of thetube T in=Flg. 2. Further turning of the crank- 22. by the operator then causes the tube tobe drawn. upwardly between the squeeze rollers and the. contents ot the tube to be squeezed from the-cut or opened: end of the tube (as shown in Fig. 2;) and. to be discharged into the can Cv in which the mixing is to take place;

If only smallamounts. of oil'color are required" tube to beopened is then. inserted upin channel.

33 of the portion 31A of the guide 315'. Since the channel 33 is much smaller than the. channel t l and the cutting of the end of the tube in the small channel is less easily observed" by the operator, the small tube: might be pressed up too far through the channel 33 causing the cutter 2-! to pass down beyond the ends of the tube. This could result in some of the oil? color. from the small tube being discharged into the: channel 33; or on to the outside of the tube and also over the cutter 2 l.v To prevent this an annular shoulder 35 extends up into channel 3% at the top and prevents the enclof the tube from inadvertently being pushed up too far into engagement with the cutter. The'slots- 36cm able the cutter to extend down through: the shoulder 35 just far enough to cut the desired opening in the tube when the tube is in contact with the shoulder.

Thus the cutting guide, rotating cutter, and squeeze rollers cooperate in facilitating the opening and squeezing of the oil color tubes as the oil colors are required for mixing the desired color paint in the paint can which is set in place on the base in our device, and the opening of the paint color tubes and the squeezing of the material from them becomes a very simple, easily regulated and non-messy operation with the employment of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a paint color tube opener and squeezer of the character described, including a standard having a base for holding a paint can, a bracket adjustably mounted on the standard, and a pair of substantially horizontal squeeze rollers carried by the bracket, a shaft rotatably mounted on a fixed axis in said bracket, one of said rollers carried on said shaft, one end of said shaft extending beyond the side of said bracket, a cutter mounted on said end of said shaft beyond said bracket, a cutting guide mounted on said bracket adjacent said cutter for holding the round end of a paint color tube in position for engagement by said cutter, said guide having an open channel positioned below said cutter for the insertion of the end of the paint color tube, the axis of said channel being substantially perpendicular to and intersecting the axis of said cutter, and means for rotating said shaft and cutter.

2. In a paint color tube opener and squeezer of the character described, including a standard having a base for holding a paint can, a bracket adjustably mounted on the standard, and a pair of substantially horizontal squeeze rollers carried by the bracket, a shaft rotatably mounted on a fixed axis in said bracket, one of said rollers carried on said shaft, one end of said shaft extending beyond the side of said bracket, a disklike cutter mounted on said end of said shaft beyond said bracket, a cutting guide mounted on said bracket adjacent said cutter for holding the round end of a paint color tube in position 4 for engagement by said cutter, said guide having a pair of open channels at opposite ends respectively of said guide, said channels being of different diameters to fit tubes of different size, said guide mounted on said side of said bracket for partial rotation to enable either of said channels to be brought into position below said outter with the axis of such channel perpendicular to the axis of said cutter, and means for rotating said shaft and cutter.

3. In a paint color tube opener and squeezer of the character described, including a standard having a base for holding a paint can, a bracket adjustably mounted on the standard, and a pair of substantially horizontal squeeze rollers carried by the bracket, a shaft rotatably mounted on a fixed axis in said bracket, one of said rollers carried on said shaft, one end of said shaft extending beyond the side of said bracket, a disklike cutter mounted on said end of said shaft beyond said bracket, a cutting guide mounted on said bracket adjacent said cutter for holding the round end of a paint color tube in position for engagement by said cutter, said guide having a pair of open channels at opposite ends respectively of said guide, said channels being of different diameters to fit tubes of different size, the axes of said channels in said guide being parallel to each other, said guide mounted on said side of said bracket for partial rotation to enable either of said channels to be brought into position below said cutter with the axis of such channel perpendicular to the axis of said cutter, an internal shoulder in said smaller channel to limit the extent to which the end of the paint color tube can be inserted in said smaller channel for contact with said cutter, and means for rotating said shaft and cutter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 545,915 Russell Sept. 10, 1895 836,744 Ferren Nov. 27, 1906 1,859,174 Sassano May 17, 1932 2,197,958 Waters Apr. 23, 1940 

